Thoughts on Google, the Consumer, and the Internet of Things.

In the article Teena quotes Gilad Meiri, CEO of Neura, with the following statement:

Google has made an art out of deeply understanding how people interact with their virtual world, the Web, and in so doing has been able to monetize that understanding in wildly successful ways.

Later on there is another quote, this time from Frank Gillett, a Forrester Research analyst::

Google's acquisition of Nest affirms the growing strategic importance of the idea of the connected home. It also shows that Google increasingly believes in hardware/software solutions, such as Nest has built, rather than just building operating systems for other manufacturers to implement in smartphones, Chromebooks, and TVs.

My thoughts go in one main direction; Google get's what the consumer needs (or would like to have) and that the consumer is the main force in all market's, not just technology. Although they won't give up, or walk away from, the enterprise world, there is a bigger market out there in the in the consumer world.

The world of the Internet of Things (IOT) is spoken of in terms of the connected household, it goes further than this. The leader in acceptance of the IOT will be the consumer. And now the increasing rate of acceptance of new products and the IOT will bring about change faster than I think we can predict.

The idea that all things need to connect and get along with each other, like the Nest products do, will be expected as we go into the future. The isolated worlds of other producers is not going to work in the long run. Be open, be connected, think consumer. I believe this is where many are missing the point.

If you can sell the consumer they will take you inside the enterprise world. My analogy would be like the Internet, the web is only a small part of what goes on out there. In the world of people the enterprise is only a portion of that world. The bigger world is the 'consumer'. We interconnect with each other, why can't our products get along?

Apple got the consumer to purchase the iPhone and it is now inside the enterprise. Google went after the consumer with a different phone and now it is going into the enterprise. Same with tablets. All we hear about is are the iPad and Samsung or Nexus (Android) tablets. Granted there are others but where is the press?

The press is following the consumer.

Google is getting the consumer and perhaps getting better at it than Apple.

I think both of the quotes above are only getting a fraction of what Google is doing. Yes they have search results and they look at what the consumer is doing or searching, or wanting. Then Google is producing wonderful, out of the world, products (or thoughts/dreams). Google is going to the moon, and getting tons of publicity for it; Nexus products (phones, tablets), Google Glasses, Driver-less Car's, Robotics. Now for in-home thermostat's, Smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors, oh yes - Chromecast for TV.

I think Google is reaching out in so many ways to connect and this has a direct impact on how we think of Google.

In all the recent companies brought into the Google connection they follow the same similar pattern and Nest. They bought Nest "Labs" and I think the emphasis on 'Labs" is what is important. Engineer's into robotics and helping mankind with mundane tasks. People Centered? Consumer Oriented? Future enlightenment.

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About Me

Born in Northeast Pennsylvania, raised in central New Jersey. After high school I spent 3 years in the US Army as a field service technician. Graduated from the University of Kentucky with a BS in Accounting and now teaching computer application software. I have enjoyed my life connected to technology in one way or another. I will continue learning whatever I can about the latest in technology. This so I can become a better resource and personally more efficient. I write often on technology and life at the Curious Voyager, which I believe the title reflects my approach to life. I like to think of life itself in terms of the title of Richard Feynman's book "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out".